


Cake? ... Cake.

by RussianSunflower3



Series: Sunflower's Yamaguchi week 2015 [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Day 3, Gen, Meowchi, Mild anxiety at the beginning, One mention of swearing, Tickles!, Yamaguchi Week 2015, Yamaguchi is meme trash, Yamaguchi's birthday, let them eat cake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-10
Updated: 2015-11-10
Packaged: 2018-04-30 23:17:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5183375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RussianSunflower3/pseuds/RussianSunflower3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Each year on his birthday, Yamaguchi went a little... Hyper.<br/>Tsukishima always tolerated it.</p>
<p>He might not when he learns of an ancient Karasuno tradition.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cake? ... Cake.

Generically, when planning a surprise birthday party for a person, that person wasn’t in contact about their own birthday plans. Therefore, Yamaguchi had been rather surprised when Sugawara had approached him after practice on the 9th, asking if he was free for a minute to talk about tomorrow. He nodded dumbly, despite the fact that Tsukishima was waiting by the door.

“G-Go on ahead, Tsukki! I’ll meet you in class!” With an uncaring grunt and shrug, Tsukishima made his way to the clubroom. At least, Yamaguchi was pretty sure that’s where he was headed. He didn’t realise he was staring at the empty spot where Tsukishima _had_ been until Suga laughed next to him.

“Don’t worry, this won’t take long~.” He smiled weakly, trying to figure out why he’d been called over to talk about tomorrow. Maybe they’d forgotten his birthday was the 10th? Maybe they were going to tell him not to expect presents. He didn’t anyways, but he thought that possibly, maybe there would be. It was what friends did, and they considered him a friend, right? 

_‘... Right?’_ His hands fumbled together nervously and his teeth bit into his bottom lip enough to leave indentations. A hand on his arm made him flinch and jump. Suga held his hands up in surprised surrender, caught off guard by the strong reaction.

“Sorry! You were shaking, so I was seeing if you were cold...” With a soft sigh, Yamaguchi rubbed the back of his head nervously. He’d been shaking? His anxiety was getting worse, it seemed.

“Sorry, sorry, my bad~... I was just daydreaming~.” He hoped that Suga didn’t pick up on how forced his light-hearted tone was, the tremors of fretfulness hidden behind a cheerful chirp. Silverish eyebrows furrowed and Sugawara’s forehead creased, but if he suspected anything, he didn’t say otherwise. Reaching the circle that the third years, second years, and the freak duo sat in, Yamaguchi crossed his legs and scratched at his elbow in confusion.

“So... What’s happening tomorrow?” He waited for them to tell him to treat it as a normal day. To expect nothing. He waited, with a pit of anxiety in his gut, for them to tell him that he wasn’t a good enough friend to be celebrated. Opposite him in the circle, Daichi chuckled ominously.

“Tomorrow, we’re obviously throwing you a birthday party. Now, we won’t share the details, so that it’s mainly a surprise, but there is one _teensy-weensy_ detail that we need your help with~...” That wasn’t what Yamaguchi had expected at all. He blinked multiple times and was aware that he was making a very confused, continuous noise. Like a car engine warming up in the morning before it inevitably spluttered to a halt. Spluttering was exactly what Yamaguchi did next.

“I- uhh- I-... I don’t understand...?” Daichi only laughed once more, kindly, and gestured everyone in closer. The second years wriggled closer with excitement, and even Asahi and Suga shared an amused glance. Yamaguchi noticed with relief that Hinata and Kageyama seemed just as clueless and confused as him. Still, he shuffled in closer, knees touching the people either side of him and listened carefully. 

“You see... Karasuno has a little, hmm, _tradition_...” Once the team had finished explaining, Yamaguchi went home vibrating with excitement.

\--------------------------------------------------------------- 

Stretching awake, Yamaguchi stared at the ceiling with laziness, scratching half-heartedly at an itch on his left hip. He smacked his dry lips a few times and lay there in silence, staring up at the ceiling until his eyes widened and he bolted into a sitting up position with a wide grin. It was his birthday! 

He kicked the covers off, humming as he selected his uniform for the day and vanished into the bathroom. With the bathroom walls as his audience, he sung off-key and _loudly_. It didn’t matter that he didn’t even know the language of the song, just that Tsukishima had showed him it and he’d fallen in love with the music. With a shriek as he nearly slipped in the bathtub, too engaged in ‘performing’ to his rubber ducky, he decided that he was clean enough. He dried and dressed quickly.

When he re-entered the bedroom, he wasn’t at all surprised to see Tsukishima sitting on the edge of his bed, looking through his phone with his headphones around his neck and a wrapped gift on his lap. Honey eyes, tinged with darker ochre shades, glanced over at him then back to the phone screen.

“I hope you’re aware you were singing – sorry, _screeching_ \- about being cheated on and turning to murder.” With a soft huff, Yamaguchi picked up a soft toy from the end of the bed and threw it at Tsukishima. He blocked easily with one arm.

“Don’t ruin my mood~. It’s a happy tune, so it’s a happy song~.” Tsukishima shrugged and rolled his eyes, an amused lilt entering his usually snarky tone.

“Whatever you say, birthday boy.” Yamaguchi couldn’t stop the grin growing on his face, threatening to split his cheeks if it grew any wider. Wordlessly, Tsukishima held out the wrapped gift. With a bright, enthusiastic squeal, Yamaguchi took the gift and held it up victoriously, as if he just fought valiantly for its possession. When Tsukishima’s lips quirked and he tried to take it back, the freckled boy just scurried away to the other side of the room and stuck his tongue out. It prompted another roll of Tsukishima’s eyes.

“Mature, Yamaguchi.”

_“Mature, Yamaguchi~.”_

“And now you’re mocking me. How old are you?”

_“And now you’re mocking me. Blah blah blah blah bleeeh~.”_

Carefully, slowly, Tsukishima took off his headphones and laid them on the bed next to his discarded phone. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes and Yamaguchi backed up against the wall with a snicker.

“Can’t hurt the birthday boy, Tsukki~.” The blond rose to his full height and started to stalk over to him step by step, as if trying to be intimidating. The smirk on his face that quivered as he fought down a smile gave away that he wasn’t angry at all. Yamaguchi scrambled back against the wall and attempted to dart to the side with a loud, happy _‘Wah~! No~!’_ , but he had made the mistake of heading for the corner and was now trapped in place. He burst into giggles as Tsukishima put an arm either side of him. He could feel Tsukishima’s breath on his face and his giggling fit turned into full laughter, prompting Tsukishima to raise an eyebrow. Yamaguchi wheezed and laughed and nearly cried, fluttering one hand to fan his face, as if that would help, before he squeezed the words out between barks of laughter.

“Kabe- **don**!” He slid back against the wall, his laughter so intense that he made no sound at all, only silently cradling his stomach as he sat there in complete hilarity. Tsukishima snickered quietly. Rarely did Yamaguchi get like this, and it was usually only on his birthday. He could tolerate that. 

“Really, Yamaguchi? Are you saying _I’m_ the meme trash? Because I faintly recall last year when-.” He was interrupted by two tanned hands flew up to stop him mid-sentence, Yamaguchi trying to hold back his laughter as he narrowly avoided smacking Tsukishima in the crown jewels. 

“Don’t!” 

“- When you whispered _‘impossibru’_ at almost everything people said.” 

“Tsukki, I said don’t!” The boy didn’t look too upset though, just mildly condescending. Offering him a hand, Tsukishima pulled Yamaguchi to his feet, and then caught him off-guard as he pushed him back in the corner.

“You know... I haven’t punished you for throwing that toy at me yet...~”

“Can’t hurt the birthday boy!” Yamaguchi stuck his tongue out before he noticed that Tsukishima’s face had overshadowed with a smug expression.

“Who said anything about hurting?” Yamaguchi tilted his head to the side in confusion before he felt fingertips ghosting over his side and then _pressing right against his **most ticklish** spot._ His face morphed into something reminiscent of terror as he stared at Tsukishima’s arrogant, smirking expression.

“Tsukki no.”

“Tsukki, yes~.”

_“No...”_

“Yes.” Yamaguchi shrieked and squealed, jumping up to try and escape the tickling fingers that knew so well how to make him forget to breath. Before he could wriggle to freedom underneath Tsukishima’s arm, the taller boy wrapped it around his waist, restraining him as he kept tickling, occasionally drifting to other spots that were less sensitive. Enough to keep Yamaguchi squealing and laughing, but also so that he could actually breath, taking huge gulps of air.

Tsukishima didn’t have to worry about Yamaguchi’s mother hearing either, seeing as he’d informed her of their tradition before coming up to Yamaguchi’s room every year. He showed no mercy, tickling until Yamaguchi slumped against him, wheezing so hard that he mentioned ‘ow’ with every breath, face flushed from exertion and cheeks streamed with tears of hilarity, and drooling from where his laughter had physically bubbled over. He didn’t pull his arms away, supporting Yamaguchi where he stood with shaking legs. When the rough breathing returned to being only partially laboured, Tsukishima gently shuffled his arms. 

“Are you okay?”

“You’re so mean, Tsukki~.” He rolled his eyes behind his thick-framed glasses. Yamaguchi was perfectly fine if he could summon insult. 

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

“Sorry Tsukki!” 

“Are you going to open your present now?”

“No, I thought I’d just hold it all day.” The sarcasm didn’t escape Tsukishima, huffing lightly and then gesturing to the wrapped gift still in Yamaguchi’s arms, though probably quite squished.

“You’re lucky it isn’t fragile.”

“Tsukki, please. You _always_ get me something soft, cute and cuddly.” He swept an arm in the direction of the bed as an example, the many stuffed toys perched messily at the end of it. Much to Tsukishima’s credit, he only averted his gaze rather than getting fully flustered. With a hum of delight, Yamaguchi started to unwrap the present carefully, making sure all the tape was off before he unfolded the _Christmas tree_ wrapping paper. He didn’t mention anything about it. It was tradition.

Tsukishima had wisely walked back over to the bed, pulling on his headphones, turning up the volume on his phone, and choosing a song that was high-pitched enough to hide Yamaguchi’s **monstrous** , _window-shattering_ , **_adoring_** squeal. He pulled them back down when he saw Yamaguchi’s mouth stop moving, along with his body that had been jumping for glee, the wide grin still on his face.

“Tsukki~! You got me Meowchi~!”

“Yes, I’m... Well aware. I’m sure the entire neighbourhood is too.”

“... Oops~. Sorry.”

“Tch. It’s not me you need to apologise to.” Even Tsukishima’s deadpan tone couldn’t dull Yamaguchi’s dazzling vibe, swaying from side to side as he hugged his new calico Meowchi tightly. Tsukishima was pretty sure the poor toy would have a permanent dent in it. Yamaguchi could only make strange noises of happiness, cooing at the toy like it was an actual cat. 

It was soft when brushed one way and fluffy when stroked the other. He preferred the soft and silky sensation, petting the Meowchi in one direction only. He even nuzzled against it, resting his head against the plush toy. He could easily fall asleep like this, and a small yawn broke out at the thought. He heard Tsukishima moving closer before he saw him, and then a warm hand landed on his back, pushing Yamaguchi towards the bedroom door.

“The special breakfast your mum cooked is getting cold.” Instantly, Yamaguchi perked up. He knew he didn’t eat much, which Nishinoya was forever pestering him about, but his mum’s _special_ breakfast was something of a whole different calibre. He could eat huge portions of **that** all day long. He skipped down the stairs, occasionally missing one or two steps, but it was no big deal. He’d long since gotten used to falling down stairs, crashing into walls, tripping over his own feet, and a continuous list of other clumsy tropes. The Meowchi cradled in his arms, Yamaguchi dropped himself into his chair at such speed that it skidded along the floor and would have fallen had Tsukishima not grabbed the back of it.

“Thanks, Tsukki~!” He shrugged, taking the chair next to him around the small square table. It was only sized for two people, after all, but Yamaguchi and his mother easily squeezed another two or three guests in at times. The plate stocked full and high of a gooey omelette over rice, with a saccharine teriyaki sauce and a myriad of herbs and spices, was placed in front of Yamaguchi and he thanked his mother sweetly with a kiss on the cheek and a thank you. In return, she bid him happy birthday, cheekily blowing a raspberry against Yamaguchi’s cheek. It was easy to see where Yamaguchi got his gentle yet mischievous behaviour from.

Somewhere along the line, Tsukishima had grown somewhat attached to the innocent quirks of Yamaguchi’s mannerisms, along with the sly quips and sarcastic, snarky comments he could deliver without hesitance. They made him unique, complex. When the blond zoned back in, Yamaguchi had almost messily devoured the breakfast, yet the Meowchi remained miraculously clean. He knew that Yamaguchi wasn’t going to let that thing go _all day_ , even throughout school. He should have left the present until after afternoon practice... 

“Tsukki, are you ready to go?”

“Question is, are you?”

“Of course I am~! I wanna see what the team have done~!”

“What they’ve... done?” 

“Oh yeah, they said they were gonna throw me a birthday party in morning practice. Can you believe it, Tsukki~? A birthday party~!” Tsukishima was about to quip about how it wasn’t odd at all, that Yamaguchi didn’t need to get so excited over a dumb party that was probably just going to be mess, noise, and a game of volleyball. But seeing that delighted sparkle in Yamaguchi’s eyes, he bit his tongue. This was probably the first time Yamaguchi was being _given_ a birthday party, arranged by someone other than his mother who invited the neighbourhood children out of pity. This time, Yamaguchi had enough friends for a party of his own.

“Mhm, sounds obnoxious, but I’m looking forwards to it.” He wasn’t. He really, really wasn’t. Goodness knows what a party with the idiot duo, and the hyperactive second year duo would be like. Still, he allowed Yamaguchi to babble excitedly about what he thought could happen all the way to school. When the gymnasium came into view, he gave a shrill squeal and excitedly bounced on his feet before taking off running towards the entrance. Tsukishima rolled his eyes and followed. No doubt the team had heard Yamaguchi approaching.

He put his headphones in his bag so that they wouldn’t get damaged, and proceeded to enter. His eyes widened. Yamaguchi was standing in the middle of a circle, hoisted onto Asahi’s back and already wearing a party crown. His bag and Meowchi were already at the side, and everyone was holding a slice of cake. At that height, Yamaguchi was the first to see him. He waved Tsukishima over before he was lowered to the ground and Sugawara passed him a slice of cake on a paper plate.

“Tsukki, over here!” Yamaguchi tried to disguise his mischief-making grin, masking it as normal excitement. Tsukishima, however, knew him too well. He caught golden eyes flicking from his face, to the cake in hand, to his face again with a look of realisation and apprehension.

“.... No.” Tsukishima took one step backwards, his body already twisting to run. Yamaguchi held his cake high and released his battle-cry.

“Karasuno, **fighto**!” The whole team burst out into shouts and laughter, charging at Tsukishima as he tried to run. Keyword; _tried_. Hinata tackled him, cake smeared against his back before Yamaguchi leapt onto his back, leant over, grinned, and _smashed that cake into his face **without mercy**_. Laughter erupted, with the team taking photos of this momentous occasion and joining in with their own slices. Even the coach. Karasuno’s birthday tradition of ‘cake the biggest asshole’ was complete. Yamaguchi moved off Tsukishima’s back to allow him to turn around and glare, before promptly placing himself in Tsukishima’s lap. 

“Sorry Tsukki~.”

“You’re not sorry at all, you little shit.”

“Nope! Best. Party. EVER.” As the team started to form a neat circle, each with their own wrapped gift, Tsukishima sighed, wiped the cake from his face, and leant into Yamaguchi’s back with his arms encompassing his waist platonically.

“Happy birthday, Tadashi.” 


End file.
